Ah, Canterlot Castle; a place where prissy ponies visit and annoy the princess with their problems originating from their own snootiness and sheer upper-crustiness. Or so Frost Bite thought. It annoyed him that Luna can’t give him a lesson due to today court’s unusual number of guests today. Tirek’s destruction apparently affected a number of properties around Equestria that the sisters had to attend to the court together and they even plan to hold the night court together as well.
Frost Bite thought once he got back to the castle, he would be relaxing and Princess Luna would let her do so. Unfortunately, being a student of magic doesn’t allow for such and instead, he received piles of homework from Princess Luna. While Princess Luna didn’t really want to burden her student, Princess Celestia urged her to make sure Frost Bite doesn’t lose track of his studies. So there he was, sitting in front of a study table with piles of books and scrolls. Frost Bite already read half of it and while he did love reading, it was surely tiring.
So transfiguration is all about transforming objects? Why not just call it transformation?
Frost Bite pushed himself away from the table, moving his swivel chair away from it. Five books down, five to go. Frost Bite started reading two in the afternoon so when he looked outside and saw it was already evening it shocked him. What was no shock to him was his grumbling stomach.
Dinner awaits.
Frost Bite got off his chair, walked to his door, and upon opening the door he met Ombré’s face full of shock.
“Oh hi, Ombré.”
“Frost Bite, hi!” Ombré greeted nervously. “I was going to knock but I guess I don’t have to now.”
“Uh huh.”
“So I was thinking,” Ombré mumbled. “Since you said basically we were going out together, I want to know if you want to have dinner with me tonight.”
“Ombré.”
“Yeah?”
“Why are you acting weird?” Frost Bite furrowed his eyebrows.
“It’s our first… You know...”
“We’re just going out together. Nothing weird about that.”
“Right. Right.”
“So, where are we going?”
Ombré led Frost Bite near the borders of Canterlot. In there, there were fewer fancy establishments and ponies don’t actually stick their noses up high. It was nice for Frost Bite to see Canterlot had normal ponies for a change. Not that the upper-class ponies were annoying, but they do alienate Frost Bite most of the time he was with them.
They stopped in front of a restaurant. It wasn’t posh and fancy, but it reminded Frost Bite of Ponyville. It had an homey-aura to it, and he loved it. The sign that hung in front said ‘Garden’.
“The Garden?” Frost Bite loudly read.
“It’s one of my favorite places here in Canterlot. I don’t really come here with the guys though.”
“Why not? This place looks great!”
“Well, they’d rather drink cider at the bar than actually eat dinner, so...”
“Hey, don’t look so down. I’m with you tonight.”
“O-of course!”
The two of them entered the building and took a table for two. Inside, the interior looked entirely made of wood. Tables and chairs were too. Ponies filled few tables in the restaurant. At one end, there was a grand piano, where a pony seemed to be preparing her notes for a performance.
“This place looks great!” Frost Bite commented.
“I know,” Ombré agreed. “This place has always been like this. Even the ponies here.”
There was a lot of things Frost Bite noticed. Simplistic wooden interiors, ponies laughing and talking, and a wall filled with different paintings and photographs that he swore looked a lot better than the ones he saw at the Canterlot Museum.
“Thanks for bringing me here, Ombré,” Frost Bite grinned. “This place is sweet.”
“Of course. We’re dating after all...” Ombré mumbled.
“I just hope this place has food just as good.”
“Oh, don’t you worry. I can vouch for this place. As the new captain of the Night Guards, I can assure you.”
“What?”
“Did I… say something weird?”
For a minute, nobody said anything and the two just stared at each other in confusion.
“Weren’t you fired or something?” Frost Bite questioned. “Isn’t that why your buddies at the bar we’re cheering you up?”
“No!,” Ombré cried, waving his hooves. “We were celebrating my promotion.”
“Then what’s with the depressing aura?” Frost Bite wondered. “You were talking to Night Tickle, looking so glum and whatnot.”
“I’m sorry. I guess I thought you were worried about me when I got arrested.”
“I was.” Frost Bite smiled then his stomach grumbled. “But enough about that, at least we got it all sorted out. For now, we’re here for some grub.”
Sing Song left Frost Bite by himself to study and she didn’t want to distract him. So because of that, Sing Song just wandered around the castle, floating along the long hallways that smelled curiously of lavender. She thought of what they had been through since they first met. It was ridiculous to her that they started with almost nothing and now they got to stay at the humble abode of the rulers of Equestria. Sing Song let out a loud sigh.
“Looking for someone?”
Sing Song turned and saw Princess Celestia smiling at her. It surprised Sing Song she didn’t even hear the princess coming.
“Yeah. Where’s Frost Bite?”
“Went out with Ombré for dinner,” Princess Celestia said. “At least that’s what the guards told me.”
Sing Song raised an eyebrow. “Okay…?”
“You don’t sound satisfied.”
“I don’t know,” Sing Song grumbled. “I thought he’d bring me with him.”
“Ombré?”
“No, Frost Bite!” Sing Song snapped. “Why would I be chummy with that guard?”
“You did say ‘him’, so I assumed you meant a male rather than Frost Bite.”
Sing Song covered her mouth as if she had uttered a swear, which earned a curious look from Princess Celestia.
“R-Right… You know him, er, her… She acts so much like a stallion I forget she’s a girl.”
Like that’s gonna fly. Sing Song knew Princess Celestia was already suspicious of Frost Bite and slipping now would only strengthen the princess’s doubts.
“Is there something you’d like to tell me, Sing Song?” Princess Celestia asked, tilting her head.
Sing Song knew what Princess Celestia was trying to do. Behind her kind facade, Princess was trying to get her to confess.
“It's alright,” Princess Celestia confided. “I know Frost Bite isn't what she appears to be.”
Uh oh. This can't be good, Sing Song thought.
“And I do know she means no harm,” Princess Celestia giggled. “In fact, she is quite a delight to be around with. And also, quite the fast learner she is. Frost Bite really surprised me when she read much of her books in such a short notice.”
“So, you don't mind her being…”
“Not a student undergoing a thesis? Of course not. I did mind when I realized she wasn’t a pony.”
“You knew?”
“Of course. I have faced their queen and subjects two years ago. I have learned their ways since then, though I must say Frost Bite clearly wasn't the best when it comes to hiding secrets.”
“Then why didn't you bust us?”
“I believe everyone deserves a chance, may they be a pony or otherwise.”
Sing Song couldn't help but return Princess Celestia’s smile.
Nightingale leaned on the door, and behind it was Sing Song talking to Princess Celestia. Nightingale heard everything. It confused him, yet scared him at the same time. How can the princess let an enemy of the nation into the castle? When the changelings invaded, Nightingale was helpless against the horde of love eaters and was easily captured into one of their pods. In there, he could see the changelings capture more ponies and feed on their love. It terrified him, but it also made him hate them. He hated them and would not allow another changeling close to anypony, especially the ones he cared for.
Ombré.
No. He’s with that faker! With that thought, Nightingale jumped out of the window in the room and flew away, careful as to not make noise and not alert the foolish princess and her friend.
“Best. Meal. Ever.” Frost Bite smiled with a toothpick in her mouth as she leaned back on her seat.
“Knew you'd like this place.” Ombré sipped from his straw. “We should do this more often.”
“That is a given.”
Frost Bite felt satisfied. While the food at the castle was immaculate, there was something about the food in the place that made it so good, if not better. However, the place also had its flaws; the pianist played songs that were far from relaxing and were instead more like shanties from a pirate ship. He would’ve like that, but the songs were unheard to Frost Bite and most of the patrons sang along to the melody. Doesn’t help there also was a fight by the bar, which reminded Frost Bite that it was also a bar. A restaurant bar… Restobar? Bartorant?
“That hits the spot!” Frost Bite exclaimed.
“I know, right?” Ombré agreed. “I was worried you wouldn’t like it here.”
“Because ‘Princess Luna’s prized pupil’?”
“Well, yeah.”
Before Frost Bite could take another sip, the bar doors were slammed wide open. Everyone at the bar turned to see who would make such a grand entrance. As a pony stepped into the doorframe, the doors were slammed back into place, making a loud thud.
“Ow,” the pony with a hooded mellowed, hold his face with his hooves. “I hate these swivel doors...”
Frost Bite looked closely at the newcomer and noticed he was coming their way. Upon reaching their table, the pony removed his hood, revealing… Another hood.
“Were you, by chance, really cold out there?” Frost Bite asked.
“My ears get cold easily, so yeah.” The hooded pony answered lightheartedly.
“Nightingale?” Ombré finally wondered. “You’re the only one I know with cold ears.”
Undoing his final hood, the armor-clad night guard Nightingale was revealed.
“Captain, stay away from that mare,” Nightingale ordered. “She’s not what she appears to be.”
Frost Bite felt a chill as he heard Nightingale. Am I busted?
“What are you talking about, Nightingale?” Ombré raised an eyebrow. “We’re having some time together, so if you can, please knock off the joke for now.”
“No! I’m not joking!” Nightingale stomped. “Frost Bite, if that is her real name, is not a pony!”
Frost Bite’s sweat flowed. [Not good./i]
“She’s a changeling!”
Definitely not good.
Collective gasps erupted from the room, with one gasp delayed from the others.
“Wait, you were all listening?” Frost Bite asked out loud.
“Well, with that night guard screaming every sentence she said, yeah,” a patron yelled back.
“Oh, sorry I’m being too loud...” Nightingale apologize, lowering her head.
“Nah, it’s alright,” said by another patron, who looked like a pirate.
“Enough!” Ombré roared. “I am not taking this farce any longer!”
“You have to believe me! Captain, it’s for your sake!”
“I have been with Frost Bite for days, and I know for sure that Frost Bite is one of the kindest ponies I’ve met. I know how she really loves to read, to eat, and to mingle with others. She’s a genius with spells and... ”
Frost Bite, while happy about what Ombré had to say about him, wanted to get away from Nightingale as much as possible. Another thing he worried about was Ombré. Would he deny all of their time together if he started to believe Nightingale? His heart pounded hard with each second passing.
“But she’s a changeling!”
Ombré got off from his seat and went to Frost Bite. His face was unreadable to Frost Bite, and it only added to Frost Bite’s anxiety.
“Ombré?” Frost Bite called out weakly.
“Frost Bite,” Ombré said in an emotionless tone. “I want you to be honest with me.”
“Okay.”
“Are you a changeling?”
The question was something Frost Bite expected, but hearing from Ombré made it much heavier. Frost Bite never thought of the telling him. He just wanted to be with everyone. Is that so wrong?
“Well?”
Frost Bite couldn’t look him in the eyes. He could imagine Ombré’s glare on him.
“Answer me!”
Frost Bite flinched. No.
“Yes,” Frost Bite whispered.
“The real Frost Bite. Where is she?”
“There’s no real Frost Bite. I made her up. Frost Bite is me.”
“Has everything been a lie? Being a student, befriending me?”
“No!” Frost Bite cried. “I just want to be like everyone else! I just wanna be friends with you, with the princesses, and everyone.”
Frost Bite met Ombré’s gaze. He was going to ramble about him being a good changeling, but to his surprise, his eyes weren’t full of anger. It was instead filling with tears, but his face remained stoic, like what he always did as a guard.
“Do you swear on the Princesses that you’re telling the truth?”
“Yes.”
“That’s all I needed to hear.”
Frost Bite then got embraced by Ombré. His embrace was so tight and Frost Bite felt his tears on him. He returned his gesture.
“I’m sorry I-I didn’t tell you,” Frost Bite stammered, choking up on his own words.
“It’s okay.”
“I’m sorry.” Tears fell from Frost Bite’s eye she apologized one more time.
“It’s okay.”
Silence filled the establishment as if everyone understood what had just happened. Or maybe they did.
“Thank you,” Ombré whispered then let go of Frost Bite.
“Why?”
“I’m glad you trust me enough that you wouldn’t even lie to me. At least now.”
Frost Bite smiled at that statement. Nightingale, however, did not.
“HUH?! ARE YOU SERIOUS?! ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS?!”
Everyone at the establishment shifted their gazes into Nightingale.
“She’s a changeling! She’s probably lying to get you to her side!”
“And why is that, Nightingale?” Ombré asked.
“Because she feeds on love! Changelings do that thing!”
“I have seen my fair share of liars, and Frost Bite is not among them.”
“That’s because you love her! That’s bias!”
“Hey! Not so loud...”
Frost Bite became confused. Ombré loves me? Friendship does come with love… Or maybe he thinks I’m an actual female? Either way, it became problematic for Frost Bite. The gender bomb will have to wait, else Ombré will surely explode. Do I really look like a girl?
“Have you forgotten the changeling invasion?” Nightingale asked, looking furious. “The terrible things they’ve to our city?”
“Of course not! But you can’t blame one pony for a whole invasion!”
“I bet she was at the invasion!”
Frost Bite gulped. He was, but not the way Nightingale thought.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Why not?!”
“Because her past,” Ombré moved in front of Frost Bite as if to protect him from Nightingale. “Is not her today.” “Not from what I’ve seen of her. These past days I would have been fine being the perfect night guard, doing rounds and whatnot. After I met Frost Bite, things changed. I realized I’m not just another guard. I’m my own pony, and she made me realize that.”
“That’s beautiful, bro,” a random patron praised.
“Uh, thank you?” Ombré replied.
“Enough!” Nightingale stomped hard, making a loud echo throughout the establishment. “You are so lovestruck that it made you blind! Why would you love her?! She’s just a spoiled little pretend pony, and I’ve always been there for you!”
Frost Bite almost thought he heard wrong, but it wasn’t. Always there for you…?
“I’ve been training hard just so we can get in the same squad. I’ve done everything so I can get your approval. And you acknowledge me… ”
“Frost Bite, what’s going on?” Ombré asked as he turned his head to face Frost Bite.
“Hey, I’m confused as you are.”
“Then I had to listen to you basically confessing, pouring out your feelings for someone,” Nightingale pointed at Ombré. “But it wasn’t for me. You chose her!” Nightingale roared with his eyes closed. “Not me!”
A silent second seemed to last an eternity to everyone who just heard Nightingale’s confession. After seconds passed, everyone’s jaw dropped.
“WHAT?!” everyone screamed in unison.
“Wait, you-you like me?!” Ombré questioned.
“D-Do I have to say it for you to understand?” Nightingale whispered.
“Nononononono, wait a darn minute!” Ombré shook his head furiously. “You’re gay?!”
“Huh?! No! What are you talking about?!” Nightingale stomped again. “Why does that make me gay?!”
“Because you said you like me!” Ombré screeched, blushing from the weird topic.
“WHAT?!”
Frost Bite felt like her ears were going to fall off from the loud exchange of the two bat ponies. Looking around, Frost Bite noticed everyone had the same confused look that he had after listening to the absurd conversation.
“Y-you monster!” Nightingale hollered. “You don’t even see me as a potential lover!”
“Of course not! I’m not like that!”
“Not like what? A stallion?”
“It’s because I’m stallion!”
Frost Bite raised his hoof.
“What?!” Nightingale asked, noticing Frost Bite.
“I think we’re missing something here...” Frost Bite answered, holding his hoof in the air. “Are you in love with Ombré?”
“I-idiot! Isn’t it obvious?!” Nightingale stomped angrily then looked away shyly. “Don’t make me say something so embarrassing...”
Frost Bite noticed something from Nightingale. The way he looked away, biting his lips, and eyeing Ombré…
“This is gonna sound crazy,” Frost Bite said cautiously, “but are you by chance a mare?”
“Ha!” Ombré laughed. “Don’t be stupid, Frost Bite. Nightingale’s always been a guy. We’ve been comrades-in-arms for a long time.”
“And have you noticed things that were odd during your time together as comrades?” Frost Bite questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Ombré sat down on a chair next to him and thought to himself.
“Well now that you’ve said it… He never goes into the restroom with me even though he had to.”
“And?” Frost Bite interjected, looking a bit disappointed.
“Nightingale always reject my offer to sleep in my room when he couldn’t get a ride home late. He always insists on the sofa...”
“And?” Frost Bite droned, now rubbing his forehead on left front hoof.
“He won’t join me in the shower room at the barracks for some reason.”
“Dear Hives, save his soul,” Frost Bite muttered. “And what do you get from all those things you’ve said?”
“AH!” Ombré screamed, eyes wide open.
“You get it now?” Frost Bite sighed. “To think I was that bad identifying pony gender.”
Ombré pointed at Nightingale.
“He IS gay!”
Everyone at the establishment slapped their foreheads, and it was pretty loud. After that, a collective sigh. The only one who didn’t was Nightingale and she only hung her head. Frost Bite felt Nightingale’s pain, though he was never called gay before. He never thought if he could ever like a stallion.
“Y-you...” Nightingale muttered under her breath.
“Huh?” Ombré turned to Nightingale.
”You IDIOT!”
This time everyone covered their ears. Some were late to react and suffered the loud screech emitted by the night guard. Frost Bite wondered if her scream was louder due to her being a bat pony. After that scream, Nightingale’s helmet slid off her head, revealing her long mane, which curled nicely along her head. Frost Bite wondered how her mane kept it’s gorgeous look after being in the helmet for so long.
Nightingale raised her head, showing her teary eyes, but she didn’t let it fall. Her eyebrows were furrowed, her gritted teeth were visible, and her glaring yellow eyes leered only at Frost Bite.
“I, Nightingale of the Night Guard, am now placing you Frost Bite under arrest!”
Nightingale then lunged at Frost Bite, to which he just teleported away from and appeared on top of the counter. Nightingale ended up on top of Ombré.
“I-I—” Nightingale stammered.
“Frost Bite, get out of here!” Ombré hollered without looking away from Nightingale. “I’ll hold him, uh, her off!”
“That’s not fair!” Nightingale moaned then scowled and pointed at Frost Bite. “Changelings have bounties on their heads, so if anypony can bring her to me, they will get a reward!”
Upon hearing the night guard’s announcement, the patrons of the bar turned to Frost Bite.
“Uh, I thought you guys are on my side?” Frost Bite wondered.
The patrons didn’t respond and instead took out ropes, chains, nets and other bewildering items for catching prey.
“Yep, thought so.” Frost Bite then teleported into the swivel doors and made a run for it.
Screams of ponies trailed behind Frost Bite as he ran from the shop and into the night.
“I thought you guys are on my side?!” Frost Bite asked out loud to the crowd behind him.
“Hey, we all gotta make a living!”
What kind of bar that has bounty hunters as patrons? Frost Bite teleported into a corner, however, the flash of the magic made it obvious to where he appeared next. Maybe that slowed them down? He kept running past the alley and into a neighborhood. Frost Bite dodged the ponies along the street. Frost Bite wondered if Canterlot was always busy even at night. Great, I’m at the very edge of Canterlot! The castle’s too far!
“Sorry. Pardon me. Excuse me. Coming through. No, I’m not interested. Oh, I’ll have one, thank you! Oh, excuse me.”
After going through the crowd, Frost Bite stopped and found what she thought she would never see in her living days; two Mango ponies, standing next to each other.
“So, you think we should try to sell more often in Ponyville?” asked Mango.
“Uh huh. Lot’s of fruit loving ponies there,” answered the other Mango, wearing a saddle bag with a lit lamp hanging.
“Okay, duly noted.”
Frost Bite rubbed her eyes and ears just to make sure he wasn’t seeing double and hearing double.
“Hey, Mango,” said one of mares, unknown to Frost Bite which is Jill or Jane.
“Uh huh, Mango?”
“That blue unicorn is staring at us.”
“Which blue unicorn?”
“The one right in front of us.”
“Wow, that’s so rude.”
“It’s very rude to stare.”
“Uh huh.”
Wow, they really rarely blink. Frost Bite shook her head and approached the duo.
“Hey, it’s me!,” Frost Bite greeted as she walked towards them. “Frost Bite, don’t you remember?”
The duo looked at each other then at Frost Bite again with unreadable faces and constant small smiles.
“Ah,” the duo exclaimed together.
“The one I sang with.”
“The one I slammed into the ground with.”
“Ahaha, that’s the one,” Frost Bite weakly answered. “What are you guys doing here?”
“We’re on a break,” Mango answered.
“For three days,” Mango added.
“Oh, that’s nice,” Frost Bite commented but then shook her head. “Wait, I have no time for this!”
“That’s sad, we just met and you’re already saying that,” Mango said blankly.
“Well, I could always slam her into the ground if you want me to, Mango,” Mango suggested.
“Nah, we might make a commotion.”
“Guys! I’m in real trouble, okay?!” Frost Bite complained.
“What kind of trouble?” Mango asked.
“Probably because she was rude.”
“Oh, that could be it. When I first met her, she refused my help and good intentions, even though I wasn’t asking anything in exchange.”
“Ah, that is rude. When I first met her, she just hugged me out of nowhere. I slammed her to the ground as a reaction.”
“Uh huh.”
“Uh huh.”
“Please!” Frost Bite begged. “Look, I’m being chased by bounty hunters or something like that. Can you guys just hold them off, even just for a tiny bit?”
The twins looked at each other for a second.
“Uh huh?”
“Uh huh.”
“Uh huh?”
“Uh huh.”
Frost Bite could only furrow her eyebrows in confusion with the conversation happening before her. Also, Frost Bite noticed the duo was near identical except for a minor detail. Mango Jane, the one who talked about slamming him into the ground had freckles on her right cheek, while Mango Jill had freckles on her left.
“Okay,” Mango Jane answered. “We’ll do it.”
“Uh huh,” Mango Jill added. “You’re still a friend to me. Good singers are good friends.”
“Oh, uh, okay,” Frost Bite said. “Um, thanks, Mango Jill, Mango Jane.”
“No problem,” Mango Jill commented. “Are those the ones chasing you?”
Frost Bite looked behind her and saw the rowdy ponies from the bar looking around for him. One of them even had a sketch of him, which really didn’t do justice to his look. Also, crayon sketch, really?
“Yeah! I gotta go now!”
One of the hunters turned and saw Frost Bite.
“THERE SHE IS!”
And with that, the rest of the ponies turned and saw Frost Bite.
“That mare’s a changeling! Get her!”
Ponies panicked, screamed and ran all over the place in response to the announcement. Abandoning stalls, hiding beneath tables and boxes, the place was suddenly clear of the buzzing crowd.
“I’m getting a feeling of déjà vu here,” Frost Bite pondered.
“We got you now!” a pony wearing an odd looking green helmet.
“Get going, friend,” Mango Jill suggested as she dropped her saddle bag to her side. “They’re not getting you.”
“Uh huh, not with us here,” Mango Jane reassured.
“Thanks, Mango!” Frost Bite nodded then ran off away from them.
“Who do you think she was thanking?” Mango Jill wondered.
“Has to be one of us.”
“Uh huh.”
“Uh huh.”
One of the hunters ran towards the direction where Frost Bite ran off, but before he could get past the duo, Mango Jane grabbed him and placed her right front leg onto his chest and slammed him into the ground.
“No one’s passing through,” Mango Jane told the already knocked-out pony. “You think I overdid it, Mango?”
Mango Jill grabbed another pony trying to break through, held his front leg and flipped him into the air.
“Hm, I don’t know.”
“You idiots! Go together! Don’t let them pick you off one by one!” screamed one of the larger hunter ponies.
Four ponies went charging into the pair, only flipped and slammed into the ground consecutively.
“Well, I’m not complaining,” Mango Jane commented.
“Uh huh. Then let’s keep our promise to my friend,” Mango Jill mused.
Champagne Barrels wiped the tables for the tenth time and turned around to see the empty pub still empty. It’s gonna be one of those nights, huh. Champagne moved back to her bar and filled a boot with a round of cider.
“Benefits of a pub owner,” Champagne thought out loud and took a sip of her beverage.
She then let out a loud sigh. Oddly enough, there were nights her place was filled with ponies, and then nights with an average number of ponies, and then just dead silence. Like tonight. It’s a real wonder to her how she could earn enough and then some for herself with this kind of business. Oh well. As long as I can drink and sing…
And then, she began humming a tune.
What a thrill~
Champagne began tapping her hoof onto the counter.
With darkness and silence through the night~
What a thrill~
I'm searching and I'll melt into you~
What a fear in my heart~
But you're so supreme~!
I'd give my life~
Not for honor, but for you~!
In my time there'll be no one else~
Crime, it's the way I fly to you~!
I'm still in a dream~
Here’s the best part, Champagne thought to herself.
SnaAAA—
A loud slam from her double doors made Champagne jolt and turn. She saw Frost Bite, who apparently started to make a blockade in the front doors with tables and chairs using her telekinesis.
“What are you doing?” Champagne asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
“Making a barricade.”
“What for?”
Frost Bite went to Champagne’s bar and slammed her hooves onto it.
“You gotta help me!”
“Not when you scratch my bar,” Champagne grumbled.
Frost Bite immediately retracted her hooves off the counter.
“How about now?” Frost Bite gave her a goofy grin.
Champagne moved her head closer to the place Frost Bite slammed her hooves on, looking on the small scratches and dents.
“You’re gonna have to pay for that.”
“Okay okay fine, can you help me?”
“Help you what?” Champagne raised her head.
“Get to the castle.”
“What?”
“Look, ponies are after me and they plan to, uh, I don’t know, have me executed.”
“You exposed yourself?”
“It’s a long story. I mean it, don’t ask. I don’t have the time to tell you everything.”
“Right.” Champagne rolled her eyes.
“So will you help me?”
“Why should I?”
“Come on! I trust you!”
“Trust goes both ways.”
“Exactly! You trust me, right?”
Champagne looked the Frost Bite’s desperate eyes. This is gonna more trouble than it's worth... She then let out a loud sigh.
“Fine.”
“Really?!” Frost Bite’s eyes lit up. “Great!”
I’m probably gonna regret this. Wait, I can always ask for a reward from Princess Luna.
“Champ? You’re kinda giggling by yourself there,” Frost Bite observed. “It’s a little creepy, to be quite honest.”
“What?” Champagne snapped. “Oh, just thinking of a way to get you to the castle.”
“Is there?”
With that, Champagne smiled.
Champagne took Frost Bite to the back of her pub, which was a giant storage room. It was barely lit with few lamps and rows of stacks of crates lined the room and reached the high ceiling.
“Come on,” Champagne called. “We gotta get you to safety fast.”
“But what are we even doing here?” Frost Bite wondered, looking at the labels on the crates as they pass them by. “I’m pretty sure a crate of cider won’t do us any good.”
“Oh, we’re not here for a drink,” Champagne told, going to a giant thing covered by a larger cloth. “We’re here for this.”
Frost Bite approached the large unknown object with a raised eyebrow.
“What is it?”
“It’s our ride.”
Champagne pulled out the cover, revealing a giant carriage with what seemed to be an engine in the front.
“What is this?” Frost Bite asked, walking around the contraption. “It’s our ride, you say?”
“More or less,” Champagne confirmed as got onto the front that contained the seats. “I had this made for when I get stock from different cities.”
Frost Bite wasn’t sure what to think of it. The ‘ride’ consisted of mostly metal parts and looked too complicated. It had a larger pair of wheels on the back, a giant compartment for cargo on the rear, and a couple of seats in front. On top of the front wheel covers were flashlights. It also had chrome-silver tubes poking out in the sides of the rear. Frost Bite looked inside of it.
“I’m turning it on, so do stay away from the mufflers,” Champagne cautioned.
“What—”
Frost Bite noticed the thing had started to shake and looked around, only to be blinded by smoke and deafened by the roar of the machine.
“So those are mufflers,” Frost Bite coughed.
“No time to waste!” Champagne said. “We gotta get this thing moving.”
“How fast is this thing, anyway?” Frost Bite shook her head, removing the soot from him. “Unless we’re going the speed of a night guard carriage, we’re not gonna outrun Night Tickle!”
“Nightingale?” Champagne wondered. “The night guard totally gay for Ombré?”
“What, no! She’s not gay.”
“What do you mean she’s not— Oh, okay, now I get it.”
Frost Bite got into the front seat beside Champagne. The front of the seat was covered by a window.
“Okay, how does this work?” Frost Bite asked.
“Alright, first you need— Oh no.”
“What now?!”
“Only unicorns can drive this thing.”
“Then why bother getting on this thing?!”
“I don’t know! This thing is faster than anything I’ve been on so I thought...” Champagne rubbed her forehead with her hooves. “Stupid Champ.”
“Look, just tell me how to move this thing!”
“Are you crazy?! Are you out of your mind?!” Champagne hollered, looking at Frost Bite with disbelief. “This takes weeks to learn!”
“I’m a fast learner.”
Champagne just stared at Frost Bite. Well, at least she looks serious.
“What,” Frost Bite muttered.
You know what, screw it. Champagne opened a compartment near her seat, took out a small pamphlet and gave it to Frost Bite.
“Just a warning, the first time I hired a driver for this thing, he nearly crashed us into Canterlot Castle,” Champagne disclaimed.
“Crashed the castle, huh?” Frost Bite chuckled. “We wouldn’t want that now, would we?”
And with that, Frost Bite began scanning the document. Champagne wondered what made Frost Bite laugh about crashing. Maybe she had experience?
“Um, Miss Nightingale? I think we’ve really lost them”
“Keep looking!” Nightingale erupted. “They can’t have gone too far.”
The hunter ponies scuttled out to look for Frost Bite once again.
“These ropes are too tight.”
“Uh huh.”
Nightingale looked back at the ponies who stopped them from moving forward for a while. Of course that faker had tricked ponies to join her side, that’s to be expected. What Nightingale didn’t expect was for those mango ponies to be ridiculously tough. It took a while before they took them down and capture them.
Ignoring the complaints of the two, Nightingale gritted her teeth as she jumped and flew into the sky, looking down for the faker. How dare she get Ombré from me! I’ve known him more than that faker did! Nightingale remembered all of the times she and Ombré spent nights at the pub together, sharing laughs and stories, getting along with him when she was still under his supervision as a fresh cadet. And yet that stupid captain fell for that no good faker.
“Where in Luna’s moon are you?” Nightingale wondered to herself.
Then, she heard a loud crash from one of the buildings below. When she looked at which building, Nightingale noticed it was the local pub the night guards frequent. What the hay happened there? And as if to answer her question, a large thing that looked like a carriage burst out from the back of the building. The carriage then moved to the main road and started moving fast. Too fast for a carriage.
Not now. I have a changeling to find!
Nevertheless, Nightingale descended and went after the speeding carriage. It was surprising for Nightingale that a carriage can reach such speed and velocity. Nightingale flapped her wings and pushed herself forward to meet the passenger seat of the carriage. Eventually, she reached the passenger seat and saw Frost Bite with the bartender from the pub.
“FAKER!” Nightingale screamed. “YOU’RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!”
Frost Bite flinched from the sudden voice from the side. Frost Bite turned his head and saw the mad night guard baring her teeth at him.
“Oh my Queen,” Frost Bite gasped.
“Watch the road, you stupid driver!”
“The what?”
“The road!”
Frost Bite shifted his gaze back to the front and saw an incoming pony.
“OH SHI—” Frost Bite swerved the carriage by moving the front wheels, making it turn.
“Keep your eyes on the road!” Champagne scolded. “Turn on those headlights! We wanna get to the castle on this ride, not in a casket!”
“Night Tickle! She’s onto us!” Frost Bite warned as he turned the headlights on using his telekinesis.
Champagne looked back and saw Nightingale speeding towards them.
“Oh dear.”
“So, any ideas?” Frost Bite swerved the carriage to avoid ponies and objects. “I’m not sure if we can keep going with her on our tail.”
“Damn, she actually looks pretty,” Champagne commented as she observed their pursuer. “Wasted in that darn helmet of hers.”
“Champagne, not the time!”
“Right.” Champagne moved back to her seat and opened the compartment again. “I got something here...”
“YOU’LL NEVER LEAVE CANTERLOT, FAKER!” Nightingale screeched.
“Now’s a good time to pull out a MacGyver!”
“A what?!” Champagne asked as she looked around the compartment.
A loud thud banged from the back of their ride. Looking back, Frost Bite saw Nightingale on top of the cargo box, desperately gripping on the carriage.
“I AM NOT LETTING GO!”
“Champ… Night is...”
Champagne turned her head and saw the mad pony hanging on the back of the carriage, her yellow eyes seemed to glow in the night.
“Swerve!” Champagne ordered. “That’ll throw her off the carriage!”
Frost Bite started to control the wheels again to move the carriage left and right while keeping an eye on the road, which sounded easier said than done. Due to their swerving, Frost Bite hit a small stall, spraying fruits all over the windshield. Champagne took another glance at Nightingale, now had fruits on her face as well.
“Is she gone?” Frost Bite wondered.
“Far from it!”
Frost Bite focused on the lightened road as he swerved to shake off Nightingale. Not even Twilight was this mad! Ponies screamed as their carriage barely missed them.
“YOU TOOK HIM FROM ME!” Nightingale wailed as she made herself closer by pulling herself towards them.
“Let’s not get hasty around here,” Frost Bite commented. “You can’t own ponies!”
“SHUT UP!”
“Anything yet, Champ?!” Frost Bite reminded as she drove through another stall, this time covering their windshield with pillow feathers.
“Here!” Champagne exclaimed after spitting out feathers.
“Great! What is it?” Frost Bite shoved the feathers away from the windshield with telekinesis.
“It’s a crossbow,” Champagne announced as she loaded the weapon with a bolt.
“Whoa, you’re gonna injure her with that! Or worse—”
“Of course not, you dolt! I have specially-made arrows made for cases like this.”
“Being chased by a mad bat pony?”
“Just keep driving! No need to swerve, I’ll knock her off the carriage.” Champagne then knelt on the seat and took aim at the struggling night guard trying to get closer.
Frost Bite stopped swerving the carriage and instead dodged ponies and stalls.
“WHY ARE YOU SIDING WITH ENEMY?! THAT MARE’S A CHANGELING!” Nightingale hollered at Champagne.
“Sorry, but I got no time for your crazy talk!” Champagne responded as she aimed for Nightingale’s head. “Clench your teeth!”
Champagne lined her aim with her target, pulled the trigger with her hoof. The arrow fired from the crossbow speedily, and before it hit Nightingale, a boxing glove appeared in place of the arrowhead. Nightingale took the hit with a loud thud and flew out of sight.
“I got her,” Champagne mumbled. “I got her! Frost Bite, I got her!”
“Nice shooting!”
Champagne went back to her seat and put down the crossbow.
“One less problem to worry about—”
Another loud bang rang from the back of the carriage. The pair turned their heads, only to see Nightingale now near their seat.
“THAT HURT!” Nightingale screeched.
Frost Bite and Champagne screamed in terror. On instinct, Frost Bite started swerving the carriage again. Frost Bite looked ahead and saw the Canterlot Castle coming closer.
“We can’t get caught now!” Frost Bite declared.
“You gotta take the right!” Champagne warned. “There’s a dead end if you keep going straight!”
Nightingale held onto the carriage as it swerved left. After going over a hump, Nightingale was knocked off a little to the right, making her near the wheels.
“ENOUGH OF THIS!” Nightingale hissed, then punched the right front wheel.
Frost Bite felt the shift of weight of the carriage, forcing him to levitate the missing portion. This is so darn heavy!
“We missed our turn!” Champagne cried as she reloaded her crossbow with another bolt. “We gotta do something!”
Frost Bite maintained the balance of carriage. What now? We can’t keep going this way! Frost Bite scanned the incoming objects for anything. Anything that could help them get out this. The only thing he saw was the incoming wall, and it was coming up fast.
“Frost Bite, we gotta bail!” Champagne cried.
“No!” Frost Bite objected. “I have an idea!”
Craziest one yet.
“What?! There’s nothing we could do!”
Frost Bite moved the carriage slightly to the right, then, using with all of his telekinetic ability, pushed the carriage at full speed. Champagne only screamed as she held her crossbow close to her.
Then, the carriage went speeding into a wagon that had its rear wheels missing, creating a makeshift ramp. The carriage flew into the air, aimed straight into Canterlot Castle.
The Canterlot Castle Throne Room. It was one of the finest and beautiful rooms in the castle, fitting for a ruler to listen to her subjects and even just rest for a little while. The walls were adorned with beautiful and tall stained glass windows, each depicting significant events of Equestria. From the door to the throne was a lush red carpet, and in the ceiling hang a gorgeous chandelier of gold.
Truly astounding feats of architecture. Sing Song appreciated the throne room a lot since she really didn’t have anything to do other than joining Princess Celestia in her work of addressing ponies’ problems. Sing Song sat on the armrest of the throne, while Celestia continued her work talking and smiling. It was an overtime for the princess.
As Princess Celestia waved farewell to a pair of ponies, Sing Song noticed there was flowing water near the throne. Where does the water come from anyway?
“Is something wrong?” Princess Celestia questioned.
“I’m bored.”
“Ah. Sorry you had to be stuck with me,” Princess Celestia giggled.
“What’s so funny?” Sing Song wondered.
“It just that most ponies, especially here in Canterlot,” Princess Celestia answered. “They would do anything to spend time with me. And here you are; bored of being here.”
“They just adore you too much, if you ask me,” Sing Song said, flying over to the flowing water. Even that blue dolt. Speaking of him, where the hay is he? Somehow, not knowing where he was gave Sing Song a bad feeling.
“If you’re worried about Frost Bite, I can assure you she’s only having fun with her little dinner date.”
“For some reason, I’m not comforted by that.”
Last time Frost Bite was on his own, he deliberately exposed himself to all of Ponyville and it caused quite a ruckus and mayhem. Fortunately, there were ponies and a dragon willing to give him a chance. Sing Song only hoped he wouldn’t cause another one.
Sing Song heard a noise. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it was becoming louder and louder. And then, one of the stained glass broke into pieces and a carriage went through the open window, spreading colorful glass around the floor. The carriage landed in the middle of the room with a loud thud.
A pony fell from the carriage’s back and groaned in pain as it hit the ground.
“What in Celestia’s but—” Sing Song paused then looked at Princess Celestia. “I mean, what happened?”
“A carriage crashed through the throne room’s window, so it would seem,” Princess Celestia observed.
Frost Bite fell from the passenger seat, letting out a groan as he landed on the ground.
“Frost Bite!” Sing Song called out as she floated toward him. “What the hay happened?”
Frost Bite raised his face off the ground. “Well, it all started with—”
“Get to the point!”
“Night Tickle found out.”
“About what?!”
“Me.”
Sing Song gave a confused look. Who was this Night Tickle? How did he or she find out?
“Hey, get up!” Sing Song ordered.
“Wait, go check on Champ,” Frost Bite said. “I think she’s still in the carriage.”
Sing Song, still confused, floated over the passenger seat and saw a mare passed out there. She then noticed Champ’s eyes were still open from shock.
“We-We’re gonna crash...” Champ muttered.
“She’s okay, I think,” Sing Song said.
“That’s great!” Frost Bite grinned.
And then a groaning was heard from the other pony. Soon the groaning turned into screaming.
“ARGH!!!” the unknown pony screamed as she stood on her rear hooves. “This is the end, Frost Bite! Canterlot Castle is the last place you’ll ever see!”
Sing Song immediately got out of the carriage and saw the bat pony standing. Then, the pony fell onto the ground, passed out.
“Well, that certainly was something.” Princess Celestia went to Frost Bite and lifted him up. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah.” Frost Bite replied. “Well, that take cares of Night Tickle.”
“You can start telling us everything now,” Sing Song sighed.
Frost Bite told them right at the beginning; from the dinner to Nightingale’s intrusion to Frost Bite’s escape from the bar to encountering the Mangoes to hiding at Champagne’s to driving Champagne’s mechanical carriage to now.
“I get the gist of it,” Princess Celestia said. “But I’m not sure who are the Mangoes.”
“Just ponies we met before,” Sing Song assured. “So bounty hunters are now looking for you?”
“Pretty much, yeah.” Frost Bite then looked at Princess Celestia. “Oh, Princess! You’re here!”
“Yes, I’ve been here for a while, Frost Bite,” Princess Celestia smiled.
“T-Then you now know that I’m a—”
“Don’t worry, Frost Bite,” Sing Song said. “I told her everything.”
“Everything?” Frost Bite asked, eyebrows furrowed.
“Yeah.”
“Wow, I guess this is awkward,” Frost Bite said, scratching his head. “I’ve never done anything like confessing feelings...”
“What.” Sing Song blankly asked.
“You told her about me having a crush on her, right?”
“I did not know you have a crush on me, Frost Bite,” Princess Celestia interjected. “That is quite flattering, but I’m afraid I am not looking for a relationship, Frost Bite.”
“I didn’t tell her, Frost Bite,” Sing Song added.
Hearing that, Frost Bite’s expression froze and he then curled into a ball on the floor. Oh boy. Sing Song flew to Frost Bite’s place.
“Hey, no time to cry over spilled milk; why the hay are you crashing castle windows?”
“I’m not crying over milk, I’m crying over my feelings!” Frost Bite sniffled. “We were being chased by that night guard over there who somehow discovered I’m a changeling.”
Sing Song wanted to feel sorry for Frost Bite over his rejection from his crush, but his face was so contorted and silly from crying that Sing Song held the urge to even smile at the moment.
“Geez, princess,” Sing Song called. “Couldn’t you have laid it out more nicely?”
“I’m sorry, it’s just that I’m used to getting confessions like that that I already have an automatic answer for all of them.”
Sing Song just glared at Celestia.
“What?”
“Right, we have to get out of here,” Frost Bite said, sniffling and wiping his eyes. “Bounty hunters are out for me.”
“Seriously, bounty hunters? How did we get from racist to full-time bounty hunting treatment?”
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Frost Bite got up. “But I think it has something to do with Night Tickle’s jealously over Ombré’s time with me. I mean, if she wanted to hang out with him, she should just ask.”
Sing Song looked at the other mare, now standing again on her fours. Oh no.
“Just ask?” Nightingale muttered. “So easy for you to say. Especially when Ombré basically confessed in front of you. Unforgivable.”
“Yep, we’re leaving,” Frost Bite rushed. “Nice being a student, Princess Celestia, but we got other plans now.”
“What about Princess Luna?” Sing Song asked.
Frost Bite paused. Sing Song knew how Frost Bite enjoyed Princess Luna’s company.
“I don’t wanna cause trouble for them.” Frost Bite went aboard the carriage and lifted the pony inside off the carriage, setting her down beside Princess Celestia. “Princess Celestia, please take care of her. I owe her a lot.”
“But what about Ombré?" Sing Song questioned. "Your lessons, your—”
“I can’t!” Frost Bite screamed. “I can’t do that anymore. Ponies are gonna keep looking for me. They know how I look now.”
“You can always change how you look like.”
“No.” Frost Bite faced Sing Song. “This is who I am. I made this look, and it means to me as much as you all do.”
“THERE’S NO WAY I’M LETTING YOU GO, FAKER!”
Sing Song and Frost Bite turned to see Nightingale baring her fangs at them. Princess Celestia then walked toward her.
“P-Princess?” Nightingale asked, looking confused.
“I’m sorry, my little pony.”
Before Nightingale could react, Princess Celestia casted a spell on her, putting her to sleep. Princess Celestia gently laid her onto the ground.
“So much hate in her words,” Princess Celestia observed. “It hurts to see somepony to be consumed by rage.”
“Princess Celestia,” Frost Bite called. “Could you tell her I’m sorry? And that I never meant to harm any pony?”
“I intend to do so,” Princess Celestia replied. “Are you sure about leaving? I can assure your safety here, Frost Bite.”
Frost Bite looked around as if seeing the place for the last time. Or maybe it is? Sing Song went to Frost Bite’s head and nestled in his mane.
“The princesses’ are on our side, Frost Bite. We don’t have to leave.”
Frost Bite looked at Nightingale, who had a peaceful face as she slept.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. Do you like it here, Sing Song?”
Sing Song thought to herself. Canterlot Castle was a huge place, over-the-top with decorations, and… Well, warm. After all their wandering, the princesses welcomed them into their home.
“I do. But I’m not letting you go alone. You and I have something”
Frost Bite smiled at her words. Sing Song couldn’t help but smile back.
“For someone as young as you, you think too much of others,” Princess Celestia said.
“Is that bad?” Frost Bite wondered.
“Not at all,” Princess Celestia answered.
“Well, we’ll be taking our leave now,” Frost Bite announced, to which Princess Celestia nodded. “Thanks for everything.”
“No, thank you, Frost Bite,” Princess Celestia walked to Frost Bite and embraced him under her wing. “Without you, I wouldn’t have known there is a chance to your kind.”
“A chance?”
“If there is a changeling that can be taught to love for not only his own kind but also for others, then there is always another one.” Princess Celestia tightened her hug. “You’re not alone, Frost Bite. Someday, we’ll see each other without fearing each other’s kind.”
Sing Song felt her words. She hoped her words would come true. For Frost Bite’s sake. Princess Celestia let go of Frost Bite.
“Won’t you at least say goodbye to my sister?”
Frost Bite looked down for a second then looked back at Princess Celestia.
“Okay.”
Princess Luna was on her balcony when she heard a loud crash coming from the throne room. She thought of checking, but she knew her sister could handle the situation. It had been quite a while since the crash, and no guards had yet to report to her on what happened.
Maybe I should go check...
As she turned to leave her balcony, a flash of light burned into the room. When the light faded, Frost Bite stood in the middle of her room.
“Frost Bite! A joy to have you in my room,” Princess Luna exclaimed. “But knocking would still be needed if you wanted to enter.”
“Oh, sorry,” Frost Bite said.
Princess Luna then walked over to his side and embraced him.
“So, how are your studies? I assume you’ve already done them?”
“Yeah, I’m only five books to go,” Frost Bite smiled.
Princess Luna giggled. “That’s my apprentice! I wonder how fast did Twilight Sparkle finish her books?”
“Princess Luna?”
Princess Luna let go of her student. “Yes?”
“I’m… I’m gonna have to leave for a while.”
Princess Luna raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Um, I actually have to go back home. My parents got sick and no one’s gonna take care of them.”
Princess Luna noticed something from her words. She knew she was lying. Frost Bite never lied before. So why lie now?
“I see.” Princess Luna turned to her balcony. “How long will you be gone?”
“I actually don’t know.”
Princess Luna knew she wasn’t lying there. Why does she want to leave? Am I a terrible teacher? Have my old ways made her feel uncomfortable?
Then, she felt a hug from behind.
“It’s nothing you did, Princess,” Frost Bite confessed. “I actually like it here. I want to be here. I want to be your student.”
“Then why are you leaving?”
“I can’t really tell you.”
Princess Luna looked up at the moon as if the answers were written in the rock floating in the sky.
“You really can’t?”
“I can’t. And it hurts.” Frost Bite sobbed.
“I see.”
“Thank you,” Frost Bite whispered, still embracing her.
Princess Luna felt the tears on her neck from Frost Bite. Princess Luna then turned and embraced her student properly. She didn’t want her to go. She wanted Frost Bite to stay. Yet…
“You can always come back, you know.”
“Some day. I promise.”
“Pinkie Promise me.”
“Pinkie what?” Frost Bite wondered, her voice choked up from sobbing.
Princess Luna giggled. “It’s something I picked up from Ponyville. Now Pinkie Promise me.”
“Okay.”
“Cross my heart, hope to fly; stick a cupcake in my eye,” the two recited, as they did the motions.
The two started laughing. They laughed at nothing in particular. Or was it the Pinkie Promise? Princess Luna wasn’t sure, but she embraced her moment together with Frost Bite. They laughed so hard they were laughing with their backs on the carpet.
After calming down, Princess Luna gave Frost Bite another hug.
“No matter where you are, you will always be my student.”
It took a while before Frost Bite managed to grab all of his belongings from his room, which wasn’t a lot. Just a few notebooks, ink and quill, and his new journal. He then proceeded to teleport numerous times to distance himself from Canterlot.
Frost Bite looked back at the Canterlot Castle and remembered everything that had happened ever since he left the Hive. His first meeting with Sing Song. Riding on an air balloon with Mango Jill. Having fun at Ponyville’s Nightmare Night. Crashing at the Canterlot Castle. Meeting the princesses and Ombré. Getting around at Crystal Empire. Going through another world of bipedal sentient creatures. Meeting Trixie and her family.
It was quite an adventure, and truly an experience he would have never felt if he had never left the Hive. It was fun and at the same time scary but he knew it was worth it. Frost Bite felt a tear in his eyes.
“You okay buddy?” Sing Song asked. “You’ve been staring at the castle for awhile.”
Frost Bite let it flow. Tears flowed onto his face. He wasn’t sure if he was sad for leaving his friends or he was happy for meeting them. Oh, what the heck. It was both.
“Wait, are you crying?!”
“No! It’s just the rain!”
Sing Song looked up to the sunny, clear sky.
“Yeah. It’s just the rain,” Sing Song smiled. Sing Song then tapped on Frost Bite’s head. “Come on, we gotta get moving. Don’t want the Renegades to get caught now, can we?”
Frost Bite nodded.
“Yeah.”
And with that, Frost Bite turned around and started walking down the road.
“Hey!” Frost Bite exclaimed. “You just called us Renegades!”
“It’s what we are now, aren’t we?”
“So, where do you think this road is gonna take us?”
“Does it even matter?”
Frost Bite smiled. Of course, it doesn’t. It’s the journey that mattered, not the destination. Or so he read from a book during his stay at the castle. Frost Bite first was confused what that meant, but now, he kind of knew why it confused him. While the journeys he had mattered a lot, there was also something that made it much more. Journeys mattered the most when taken along with someone you care. After all, friendship is magic. Or so they say.
“As long as we’re together!”